7 helpful tips to writing good horror stories

I have recently published a short horror story known as “Black Bird Forest”, a story inspired by Linkin Park. (Listen to “Blackbirds”.)

I have gathered some experience with regards to writing horror, and I have a dosage of tips for all budding Stephen King writers.

1. Live it. And relive it.

I did not just decide to write the story off my head in the moment. That idea that came into my head actually took a few days of constantly replaying the song and reliving every scene that I had in my head as though it were real. I visualise, in high definition, the moment the two characters meet. It’s these little details that you see with your mind’s eye that ultimately help you in writing a good horror story.

2. Take the pacing slow.

Even if it might be a short story, timing here is still essential. Think about it. What if you are watching a horror movie, and then the first thing you see is the climax happening before the rest of the story? That would not be a very good movie, would it? It’s the same for the story. Take your time with the build-up. When you have ensured that all factors leading up to the main climax have been put in place, you can safely plunge your readers into the moment of fear.

3. Manipulation is good.

In my story, “Black Bird Forest”, a girl by the name of Carine enters the forest of that name. At the same time, another girl in a long, flowing dress treads in timidly. The story then progresses into what went on in the girls’ minds, how Carine wonders about her problems in her life, how the other girl ran around in endless fear… and when the two meet I revealed to my readers.. the nameless girl in the story is Carine’s doppelganger, an embodiment of Carine’s bottled up feelings. She proves to be evil when her union with Carine drove her past the brink of insanity, and ultimately to her death when the ravens of the forest attacked her.

I portrayed the doppelganger as a normal character initially, intending to give the readers some room to explore the connections between the two girls. The most common possibility would be that the two will help each other out. However… I gave the girl a sinister twist, and actually made her a being who lived in the forest, and was made Carine’s doppelganger from numerous bodies of live ravens, making the being a deceptive one from the very beginning. As seen, the deception not only applied to Carine in the story- it applied to the readers too.

Think about how your readers will view the characters in your story.. then give them a twist into something completely unexpected.

4. Read the best of horror and learn from the professionals.

I read Stephen King’s “Pet Sematary”. It’s one of my top favourite books, perhaps because of the vivid, but not over-the-top descriptions of the phenomenon. That crazed look in Gage’s eyes when he murdered his own mother with a scalpel. Watching the scene unfold in my mind’s eye gives me the chills already.

Look at the masters of horror and observe the way that they unveil their story. Learn a little from them and you’ll get better.

5. Too much gore spoils it all.

Now, some blood here and there is not too bad. Simply mentioning that blood started to stream out of your female heroine’s arm is not too bad- people can imagine it. But do it too much here and there and it’s basically the Final Destination film series in print. And frankly speaking, it wasn’t scary to me.

Some blood here and there for effect is good. Too much just desensitises your readers to it.

6. Out of ideas? Think of something perfectly ordinary.

The only thing about Final Destination that makes it quite suspenseful is the ability to change some small, minor errors that ANYONE can overlook into the cause of someone’s death. Similarly, think of the most ordinary situations in your world around you. That park near your house. Watching television. Wearing a certain red dress. Using a certain knife to cut fruits. Anything ordinary can be spun into a horror story with great imagination. The best thing is that it’s something that your readers relate to everyday, so scare them with ordinary things, and you’ve got them.

7. Try to make the effects lasting on the mind, not the pictorial memories you create.

Usually, we remember the horrific images from those movies we watch. But in writing, pictorial memories are often hard to remain on a person’s mind (unless its impact is very huge). Aim not for your reader’s imagination, but your reader’s state of mind. Do something that potentially drives both your character and readers to the point of insanity. When they look back at the frenzied feeling that scene gave them, they will remember the story.

Hook Me: Common Problems

I recently did another round of Hook Me, an exercise I do with my followers where they send in fake query letters and I critique them. 

A query letter is a short summary of your novel (a “hook”) that is used to pitch a novel to an agent or editor. Anyone who wants to get published needs to know how to write one.

So here are problems I saw in the majority, though not all, of the query letters I received.

1. My Story Is About…

Don’t use any of the following phrases in your query letter:

When writing a query letter, every word counts. Just jump right into it. Instead of starting with:

start with: 

And let the story speak for itself. Don’t just tell me that your story features the trials of friendship or that you have three lgbt characters or that it deals with heavy themes. Show me. In the manuscript.

2. Unnecessary Character Descriptions

I don’t need to know that the main character is a red-haired spunky teenager with three piercings and freckles and a knack for math. I don’t need to know these useless details.

Only tell me what I need to know about this character. What is relevant to the plot? To their motive? One of the few descriptors that you can add that may not be entirely relevant would be the age of the main character.

3. Comparing Your Story to The Wrong Thing

Your story is not like Star Wars or Harry Potter or Twilight or The Hunger Games. Nor will your story appeal to any of those audiences.

Those audiences have millions of people. Many of those people fall outside of the initial target audiences. Many of those people don’t particularly like fantasy or sci-fi or vampires or anything like that, but when something gets as popular as the series above, it draws all kinds of people.

Don’t compare your story to some of the biggest franchises in the world. This doesn’t tell agents or editors anything about your target audience. It can also show you don’t really know your genre. If you write a sci-fi and only compare it to Star Trek and Star Wars, then it’s likely you haven’t read a lot of sci-fi.

4. Vague Blurbs

I don’t need a blurb or a vague logline. I’m not sure why you would include one. Unless you’re writing a screenplay, you really do not need one at this stage.

5. Too Much

I need the protagonist and the main conflict. That’s it. Don’t give me the back story of every major character. Don’t tell me about subplots. Don’t tell me ¾ of the book.

And do not tell me the ending. Never tell the ending in a query. The point is to hook someone. You’re trying to get someone to read your story. You’re trying to intrigue them. Telling me the ending does not do that.

Also falling into this category is too many details. You need to learn how to cut down that background information into succinct sentences. Only give what is necessary. You shouldn’t spend a whole paragraph describing your protagonist and their world before you even mention the main conflict.

6. Too Little

In contrast with #5, some of you did not give me enough information. Or, at least, the information you gave was vague.

I need to know the plot. Describing the protagonist and the themes and some of the other characters and how their friendships might be in danger does not tell me anything. I don’t care about their relationships yet. I need to know the actual conflict.

7. Did Not Follow Directions

When writing a query letter or when submitting your writing, you have to follow directions. 

If you wanted a private critique, I asked you to put “private” in the title. I didn’t say to put it in the body. I also asked you to keep your submissions open so I could reply. Few people followed these directions.

It may seem nitpicky to complain about this, but you have to follow directions when submitting something. 

Some people ignore anything that ignores directions because they have a lot of submissions to get through and it’s an easy way to filter out people they don’t want a business relationship with.

Some people need certain words in the subject line so that submissions don’t end up in the spam folder or so the interns know which submissions to open.

Follow the directions. Show that you’re serious enough about writing that you took the time to read the directions.

8. Lack of Voice

Your letters need to have a strong voice. The mood and pacing needs to match the book. If you’re writing a query letter for a murder mystery, the voice should be suspenseful.

Deepening Social and Political Conflict in your Fiction

In many speculative fiction works, war or civil unrest is common, sometimes it’s a given. And yet so often, these grand, world-shattering wars are shallow when looked at straight-on. If you think about the history of the conflict or the spark that sent the nations to war, you can come up kind of dry. A lot of readers are tired of “WAR” being the default backdrop of a story, especially when it’s used as a prop rather than handled with the care it should be.

So how do you make sure that your social and political conflicts don’t just provide a canvas to your story, but help deepen and strengthen the world and the characters therein? Simple! Just do a little thinking! 

General Questions

Long-Time War

Sudden War

Civil Unrest

Happy writing!

Check out the rest of the Brainstorming Series! Magic Systems, Part One Magic Systems, Part Two New Species New Worlds New Cultures New Civilizations Politics and Government Map Making Belief Systems & Religion Guilds, Factions & Groups

Your plot and your character development do not have to be separate entities! 

Under this theory…

Your plot should produce tension which should produce character growth which should provide more tension which should produce more plot. 

In order to achieve their short and long term plot related goals, your character should have to develop, whether that be positively or negatively. They should face their flaws, beliefs, and past actions, and make a conscious or subconscious choice to change as a person. This growth should then create openings through which more plot can attack your character and force them to develop again. 

The exact same principle can be applied to character relationships, to action scenes, and to most other manor types of subplots and scenes. 

Every aspect of the story should be connected and intertwined, so that one cannot exist without the others.

TO THOSE MAKING NATIVE OCS

I see this a lot, no one has actual names, or any reference for names, that are legit Native American, varying among the tribes, for their characters.

Babynames.com and shit like that will give you names made up by white people.

However, I’ve got your solution.

Native-Languages  is a good website to turn to for knowledge on a lot of native things, including native names. If you’re unsure about the names you’ve picked, they even have a list of made up names here!

Please don’t trust names like babynames.com for native names, they’re made up and often quite offensive to the cultures themselves.

On Writing Ace Characters

If you’re not ace yourself, including ace characters may be a challenge, especially since asexuality has only recently gained attention. Below you will find advice and common stereotypes to avoid. Hope this helps.

Keep reading

to my fellow writers:

i hope you find the strength to finish that chapter, to finish your outline, to edit a bit more, to be kind to yourself

when the story is just not working, but you keep writing anyway

Current mood…

Reminder that she actually wins that season, so keep your head up.

How to choose which story idea to write next

I’m always talking about inspiration, creative block and source of ideas, but what if you already have tons of story ideas. What if the problem is not the lack, but the excess?

Having two or three ideas next in line to be written in okay, but having fifty ideas pressuring you to choose wisely is the reason why writers go insane over time. How can you choose the right idea? The one you will enjoy writing? The one readers will enjoy reading? The one that resonates with who you are? The one that will stand out in the market?

I can help you.

Every time I finished a book, I used to freak out. I had so many ideas for books, but, at the same time, it felt like I had nothing. I would pick one story, write the first page, pick another, write a paragraph, pick a third one, stare at an empty page. In the end, I had nothing.

Eventually, I created a fun and silly exercise to help me visualize which story I was ready to write… which story I had to write. I named it Honesty Test. So, while doing it, I advice you to find a silent and comfortable spot. Being honest and impartial is basically what this exercise is all about.

So, let´s start.

I’ll ask you a few questions, choose one story idea and pick the most honest answer for each question. At the end, count the points and check the results.

- If this story was already written, would you buy the book?

No, I wouldn’t even pick it from the shelf (1 point)

No, it’s not my reading style (2 points)

Yes, but for a low price (3 points)

Yes, but wouldn’t read it right away (4 points)

Definitely, and I would read it right away (5 points)

- If this story was a movie, would you watch it?

No, I wouldn’t even look further into it (1 point)

No, maybe something from another genre (2 points)

Yes, I’d watch online (3 points)

Yes, I’d watch in the movie theater  (4 points)

More than once, I would probably buy it as well (5 points)

- How developed is this story?

I have nothing developed yet (1 point)

Just an overall idea of plot and environment (2 points)

I have a main character and a few supporting characters (3 points)

I know how the story begins (4 points)

I could sit down and start writing (5 points)

- How original is this story?

It’s the replica of something I’ve read or watched before (1 point)

It’s the replica of something, but a few elements are different (2 points)

More than one movie/book inspired me (3 points)

I have a vague idea of what inspired me (4 points)

This idea came like a click (5 points)

- How excited are you to write it?

I would rather do something else (1 point)

Some scenes are interesting, but most are boring (2 points)

I’ll write it someday (3 points)

I really want to see this idea coming to life (4 points)

More than write, I want to live this story (5 points)

- Why do you want to write it?

Because it’s bestseller material (1 point)

Because it will please a certain group of readers (2 points)

Because it looks cool (3 points)

Because it’s intriguing and I want to know what happens in the end (4 points)

Because I feel something in my chest every time I think about it (5 points)

- Can you visualize this story as a novel?

I can’t think much about it (1 point)

I can see myself writing it (2 points)

I can see myself publishing it (3 points)

I can see people reading it (4 points)

I can see this story making an impact in the world (5 points)

- How close is this story to you?

We have nothing in common (1 point)

It’s not my favorite genre, but I like some elements (2 points)

I like the genre (3 points)

I can related to characters and their journey (4 points)

I love everything about it (5 points)

Now, count the points and check the results:

40 to 35: This is THE story!! Write it, really!!

34 to 30: You have something big in your hands, a high level of empathy towards this story. Try giving it a chance. Write the first three pages and see how it goes.

29 to 25: This story has a great potential, make some changes here and there. Experiment with plots and characters. You can also try changing the genre. A few adjustments can improve the idea as a whole.

24 to 20: Your empathy towards this idea is low. For a project as big as writing a book, you need a story that shines brighter. Save this idea for later, time might change the way you look at it. Meanwhile, test more stories.

19 to 8: Your empathy towards this story is too low. Writing it will drain your creative energy. Test more ideas for a higher score.

So, how was it? Did you have fun? Did it help you somehow? Remember, this is just for fun, maybe for self-discovery as well, don’t take it as an absolute truth.

I did this test on a story idea that I am trying to keep for July Nano. 32 points.  Bad idea. I want to write it now but I have edits to do! 

Sometimes writing feels a lot more like this:

Then like this:

But you gotta keep writing.

Your story might be stained in salt water, but words are words my friend. You’ve got this. ❤

Yesssss

*has the sudden urge to write a new story, but still has more than one story to complete*

writers writing books.

On Twitter.

Credit: Lifeofastoryteller.com

me as im writing something: wow this is actually coming out pretty good

me after reading it over: